Internal combustion engine



Aug. 31, 1937 J. P. TREEN v INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed 001:. 4, 1955 2 Sheets-:Sheet l @343 A40 MW/ mm Aug. 31, 1937. J. P. TREEN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Oct. 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNi'l'E. STATS attics.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Joseph P. Treen, New Orleans, La, assignor to Simplex Manufacturing Corporation, New 01'- leans, La., a corporation of Louisiana Application October 4, 1935, Serial No. 43,609

9 Claims.

This invention relates to an internal combustion engine construction and involves the combination of a plurality of elements which ordinarily have a distinct status in the art, but which in the present invention contribute to a single ingenious, novel and advantageous result, namely,

a motorcycle characterized by lightness in weight,

rigidity of strength and structure, simplicity of manufacture and reliability and efliciency in operation.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an internal combustion engine of small size in which volumetric efficiency is enhanced by the provision of a built-in super-charger which does 5 not increase the number of bearings or wearing parts of the power unit.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an internal combustion engine in which the fuel mixture enroute to the cylinder is passed through the interstices between the rotating bearings of the engine, the fuel being thus subjected to turbulence by which the intimacy and I thoroughness of its mixture is improved, it being contemplated also to make the fuel the vehicle for lubricating oil which is impinged upon the bearings in the passage through them of the fuel.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in an internal combustion engine of the class described, a crank shaft having bearings, and between the bearings the super-charger, drawing the fuel mixture through one bearing and discharging it under pressure through the other bearing and thence to the connecting rod bearing and to the cylinder to be served.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred andpractical embodiment of my invention proceeds.

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of the following specification and through-- out the several figures of which the same characters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure l is a vertical section through the inter nal combustion engine of the motorcycle;

Figure 2 is an inner end view of the cover plate of the crank case;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the crank shaft counterbalance illustrating the perforations for the passage of the combustible mixture;

Figure 4 is an end view of the super-charger;

Figure. 5 is an inner end view of the fly wheel magneto;

Figure 6 is a diametrical section through the .fiy wheel magneto showing the circuit breaker for breaking the lighting and ignition circuits at oif-set periods; and

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view of the ignition and lighting system.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the internal combustion engine M is mounted across the frame members in the lower curved apices, the engine in its one cylinder embodiment ,being preferablyarranged with the .;axis of the cylinder vertical. The engine is shown in detail in Figure 1, and comprises a crank case 2Q supporting the air cooled cylinder and in the cylinder is the piston 26 having a connecting rod 21 which passes down into the crank case through anaperture '28 which aperture also, as will appear, forms a mixture passage enroute from the crank case to the. transfer port 29 of the cylinder.

7 One side of the crank case is formed as a cylindrical extension 30 in which spaced bearings 31 and 32 are seated. The crank shaft 33 passes where it is provided with a crank 34 and crank pin 35, the latter being suitably connected through the bearing 36 with the connecting rod 21. The crank 34 is constructed as a counterbalv .20 through said bearings and into the crank case ence, being provided on the side opposite thecrank pin with ari'extension 3l'forming a counterbalancing weight. The crank is provided with the perforations 3B, the purpose of which will later appear.

, Between the bearings the crank shaft is pro-" vided with a super-charger 39 in the form of a drurnkeyed or otherwise suitably secured to the crankshaft and having deep inclined grooves 40, .the direction of inclination of which is such that in the normal rotation of the super-charger the" drum acts as a pump drawing'mixture from the aperture 49 and around anterior bearing and forcing it through the bearing on its posterior end. -The tubular extension Bil of the crank case is provided with suitable packing elements 4| adjacent its outer end, the crank shaft 33 project- ;ing beyond said end and carrying the pulley l9 ,which through the belt' l8 shown in Figure 1, .drives the rear axle of the motorcycle.

The eX- tending end of the crank shaft 33 carries a fly strumentalities on the one hand is led to the" 1 spark plug it of the engine and on the other hand to the lighting system 4'! of the motorcycle.

The side of the crank case opposite the fly wheel is provided with a heavy cover plate 48 which may be removed, giving access to the interior of the crank case. The inner face 55 of the cover plate 48 is provided with a plurality of substantial radial grooves or recesses 56. The bearing 35 in its rotary travel passes in very close proximity to grooves 56. These grooves are so constructed that the increasing volumetric displacement at their outer end and the angle of deflection to the rotation of the bearing 36 would increase the volumetric flow of vapors entering the base. The crank case is provided with a mixture intake passage d9 which communicates with an attachable mixing valve structure 22 consisting of a fitting having an air intake at its free end, and at an intermediate point having a spray nozzle 52 controlled by a throttle operated needle valve 53 reciprocating in a chamber 23 which communicates with the gasoline pipe 2|.

The engine is of the two-cycle rear compression, crank case type, but in view of the extremely small size in which it is contemplated to make this engine, it is desirable to augment the compression in the crank case by means of a supercharger in order to put an adequate quantity of mixture into the cylinder in the short time during which the transfer passage is opened to the cylinder and crank case at high speeds of the engine.

In operation, upon the up-stroke of the piston as soon as the latter has covered the port 5'! of the transfer passage a vacuum begins to be created in the displacement space of the cylinder beneath the piston, and in the crank case drawing mixture from the mixing chamber 58 of the mixing valve structure 23 and bringing it into contact with the top of the super-charger 39 and the left hand bearing 3|, the mixture rotating past the balls of bearing 3| and into the grooves at of the super-charger 39 and being subjected to turbulence. The direction of rotation of the super-charger 39 draws the mixture in a positive manner through the grooves 45 and forces it through the interstices between the balls of the bearing 32cm theopposite side of the supercharger, the rotation of this bearing creating a further turbulence. The bearings it will be understood obstruct the passage of mixture from the mixing valve to the transfer passage excepting through the interstices between the balls 59. The mixture is then forced by the super-charger and drawn by the upward displacement of the piston into the crank case through the apertures 38 of the crank and through the interstices of the connecting rod bearing 36 and in the crank case it is subjected to further agitation by the rotation of the crank and the reciprocation of the connecting rod in the close quarters defined by the relatively narrow crank case chamber. The mixture is'brought up against the baffles 56 on the inner face of the cover plate 48 subjecting the mixture to a washboard action and further mixing and finely comminuating it. Since the action of the super-charger is continuous, but the piston reverses its direction, the mixture beneath the piston will be compressed against the thrust of the super-charger upon the downward stroke of the piston, and when the latter opens the port 5? the highly compressed mixture will rush into the cylinder 25 scavenging out the burnt ,as from previous explosions which exits through exhaust port 50.

It is contemplated to mix a suitable quantity lubricating oil with the gasoline, so that when he mixture impinges against the balls in the sank shaft bearings and connecting rod bearing,

' two purposes.

it is not only subjected to a mechanical mixing action, but it leaves a film of oil upon the bearings which prevents corrosion of the balls and races thereby retaining their high luster and frictionless qualities and greatly prolongs their life.

Bearings of the so-called frictionless type require no lubrication for their easy operation or long life. In this type bearing, a lubricant serves First, to dissipate the heat of contact between the rolling surfaces, and second, to act as an anti-corrosive agent when bearings are not in use. This type of bearing actually operates With less friction when not lubricated, provided of course that heat is dissipated so as not to draw the temper from the bearings and provided further, that the bearings are kept from corroding. In my machine, these bearings are under forced draft of a mixture of air and minute 1 particles of gasoline and oil and the heat of contact between the rolling surfaces is morethorough- 1y dissipated than in any construction known to the writer. Under operation, the film of oil in the bearings would be so infinitesimal due to the low content of oil in the vapors and due to the high speed of rotation of the balls that the oil impinged upon the bearings will not materially increase friction. However, this oil film is sufficient to prevent corrosion when bearings are not in use.

It is apparent that the bearings in this motor, viz., two main bearings and one connecting rod bearing are lubricated in the most infallible manner and along the soundest engineering principles conceivable, all elements of chance which are ordinarily found in pumps, gravity flow and other systems being entirely eliminated. It is further evident that the amount of lubricating oils can be materially reduced due to the fact that this type of bearing when positively lubricated requires less oil than bearings having sliding surfaces.

The solenoids 45 of the fly wheel magneto are suitably supported upon posts 6| carried by a frame 62 suitably bolted to the end of the crank case extension 30 adjacent the inner side of the fly wheel. The interior of the fly wheel is closed by a fixed plate 63, theperiphery of which just clears the inner diameter of the fly wheel, through which plate the posts SI and the crank shaft extend.

It is a common fault with engines which depend upon a magneto both for lighting and ignition, that the load of the lighting system diminishes the voltage of the ignition system to the extent that the ignition becomes weak and unreliable particularly when the engine is turning over slowly. This is avoided in the present invention by the provision of a pair of circuit breakers 64 and 65 operated in alternation from the cam 66 on the crank shaft. Figure 7 which represents a diagrammatic lay-out of the electrical system of the motorcycle and in which the primary Winding of the magneto coil is represented at 67 and the secondary winding at 68 shows that the breakers 64 and 65 are in circuits which are taken preferably from opposite poles of the sine wave of" the alternating current proudced in the primary winding of the magneto. These breakers are alernately operated by any suitable means such as by the pivoted contact arm 5% which bears continuously against the cam 56 and in the position as shown has closed the breaker 54 in the circuit of the lamp 10, which breaker remains closed for about 180 passing a current to the lighting circuit embracing the entire breadth of one side of the sine wave as indicated by the bracket. When" the cam 66 gets around to the point at which the lever arm 69 falls into the hollow H of the cam, the breaker 64 controlling the lighting will be opened and the breaker 65 controlling the spark will be closed, to open momentarily when the lever 69 starts to rise up on the elevated portion of the cam. The normal speed of rotation of the magneto is such that the open circuit intervals of the lighting circuit will be too short to interrupt the continuity of incandescence of the lamp 70. Since the breaking of the circuit at the breaker 65 takes place on the opposite sine wave to that which energizes the lighting circuit, the latter will have no effect inweakening the voltage of the sparking circuit.

It will be understood from the above that l? have invented a motorcycle which due to the strength and rigidity of the frame and the smallness and high efficiency of the motor, may be made of extremely light weight and at a consider- 'able saving in manufacturing costs both in material and labor.

It will be obvious that not only is lightness of weight and simplicity in construction secured by the present invention, but the efficiency and reliability of operation, and the long life of the mechanism is assured both by reason of the fact that the working parts of the electrical system are completely enclosed, and the fuel mixture fed under positive pressure and agitated and thoroughly mixed by passing it through structure which is not especially provided in the form of additional parts, but constitutes elements essentially provided for the normal functioning of the engine, the power plant being thus characterized by the minimum number of parts and by the absence of complication.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the details of construction as shown and described are merely by way of example, and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the in vention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Internal combustion engine of the two-cycle rear compression crank case type including a cylinder, piston, and transfer passage between said cylinder and crank case controlled by said piston, a lateral tubular extension from one side of said crank case, a crank shaft passing through said extension, a connecting rod between said piston and crank shaft, spaced bearings on said crank shaft within said tubular extension, and a bearing between said crank shaft and connect ing rod, said bearings including spaced antifriction elements, a mixing valve communicating with said tubular extension, said extension and crank case being so related to said bearings as to constitute with them a conduit passing mixture from said mixing valve through the interstices between the anti-friction elements of said bearings whereby turbulence is created in said mixture by the rotation of said bearings.

2. Internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, including a super-charger on said crank shaft within said extension between said crank shaft bearings for drawing mixture through one of said bearings and forcing it through the other.

3. Internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, including a counter-balance on said crank shaft between said connecting rod bearing and said crank shaft bearings, said counterbalance being perforated for the passage of mixture whereby turbulence in said mixture is enhanced through the revolution of said counterbalance.

with baflles adjacent the path of revolution of said connecting rod bearing for agitating and. thoroughly mixing the combustible mixture within said crank case and increasing volumetric flow of vapors into the crank case.

5. Internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, including a counter-balance within said crank case between said connecting rod bearing and said crank shaft bearings, said counter-balance being perforated for the passage of mixture and the chamber within said crank case being substantially just sufficiently wide to contain said counter-balance and said connecting rod, a cover plate for said crank case on the side opposite said crank shaft, said cover plate being provided with bafiles adjacent the path of revolution of said connecting rod bearing for agitating and thoroughly mixing the mixture within said crank case and increasing volumetric flow of vapors into the crank case.

6. Internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, including a super-charger between the crank shaft bearings, said super-charger being directly connected to the crank shaft and comprising a drum having its peripheral surface closely approaching the inner wall of said tubular extension and formed with spiral grooves so inclined asto draw mixture around the anterior crank shaft bearing and force it through the posterior bearing.

'7. Internal combustion engine of the two-cycle rear compression crank case type including a cylinder, piston and transfer passage between said cylinder and crank case controlled by said piston, a lateral tubular extension from one side of said crank case, the crank shaft passing through said extension, a connecting rod between said piston and crank shaft, spaced bearings on said crank shaft within said tubular extension, and a bearing between said crank shaft and connecting rod, said bearings including spaced antifriction elements, the mixing valve communicating with said tubular extension, said extension and crank case being so related to said bearings as to constitute with them a conduit passing fuel mixture consisting of gasoline and lubricating oil, from said mixing valve through the interstices between the anti-friction elements of said bearings whereby a film of oil is left upon the bearings thus preventing corrosion of the balls and races.

8. Internal combustion engine of the two-cycle compression crank case type including a cylinder, piston and transfer passage between said cylinder and crank case controlled by said piston, a lateral tubular extension from one side of said crank case, the crank shaft passing through said extension, a connecting rod between said piston and crank shaft, spaced bearings on said crank shaft within said tubular extension, and a bearing between said crank shaft and connecting rod, said bearings including spaced anti-friction elements, the mixing valve communicating with said tubular extension, said extension and crank case being so related to said bearings as to constitute with them a conduit passing fuel mixture consisting of gasoline and lubricating oil, from said mixing valve through the interstices between the anti-friction elements of said bearings whereby said bearings are operating in a forced draft necting rod including spaced annuli composed of a plurality of anti-friction elements having interstices between said elements, said bearings lying between the mixing valve passage and said transfer passage and obstructing communication between said passages except through said interstices, whereby turbulence in said mixture is created as it passes through said interstices, by the rotation of said bearings.

JOSEPH P. TREEN. 

